Recent advances in medical technology and procedures have yielded a number of devices including spinal implants; hip, knee, shoulder and other orthopedic replacements; pacemakers and other implantable devices. These devices are very costly and normally require the presence of a manufacture's representative to assist the surgeon in utilizing the device properly. These devices are shipped from the manufacture to the hospital in surgical trays. These surgical trays include the medical device and any other equipment required during the medical procedure to install or implant the device. The cost of these medical devices and related equipment is very high, usually exceeding tens of thousands of dollars. This has resulted in a black market for these medical devices.
These surgical trays, including the medical devices, must be available when the surgeon is scheduled to perform the operation. In many instances, like hip and knee replacement, the medical devices are specifically sized for the individual patient. Therefore, an inventory of these devices cannot be maintained in the hospital. If the specific surgical tray required for a surgery cannot be located, the surgery must be postponed. This results in unnecessary costs on behalf of the surgeon and hospital. In addition, these surgical trays, including all of their components, must be sterilized prior to their use.
Another problem is theft of the trays between the manufacturing facility and the operating room. Once the surgical tray is delivered to the hospital and someone accepts shipment, the surgical tray becomes the property and responsibility of the hospital. There have also been instances of theft within the hospitals. In some instances the trays have been shipped to the incorrect hospital and this has not been discovered until the day of the surgery. This shipping error will again result in postponement of the surgery and related expenses.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a tracking device and system for tracking these surgical trays and other medical supplies from the manufacturer to the operating room. This would enable the medical device manufacture's field representative to locate and monitor the surgical tray containing the medical device from the time is left the manufacturing facility until it arrived in the operating room. The system is also capable of ordering additional supplies and billing for the use of the medical supplies and equipment.